[ For a guy who willingly wanted to kill every potential threat back home, Derek's a big stickler for human safety. Werewolves can heal bones with relative ease, humans take a while. ]
First, we're going to work on your posture.
[ Which is a nice way of saying, 'working on general balance'. ]
[ A small appraising nod once Stiles stands correctly. ]
You can't stand like while fighting. If you have an obvious dominant leg, your opponent is going to go for it. That and you want to keep your weight as centred as possible.
[ He'll break Stiles out of the habit at some point. It might take a while and constant reminding but they'll get there. ]
[ It’s a werewolf against a human; naturally Derek has the strength and speed advantage. Doesn’t mean that the task at hand is impossible for Stiles though. The kid just needs to take a second to consider his options.
Derek sidesteps to the side to avoid the fist. ]
I’m not unconscious. You’ll have to do better than that.
I will say I suckerpunched Jackson like that just fine.
[Stiles nearly loses his balance when Derek steps back, but he rights himself, letting out a sharp exhale through his nose. Okay, so he needs to not throw all his weight into things.
And try to be...smart. Thing is...he just doesn't know.
Still, Stiles debates for a moment, then moves forward again, feigning left before moving to step hard with his right foot at Derek's instep, then moving to punch at his solar plexus]
[ What worked against a relatively new werewolf isn't going to work against an older one. Derek's got experience with how his abilities work and how to utilise them.
He raises an eyebrow as he waits for Stiles next move. The initial movement is decent, he'll give the teenager that, and the stomp is a decent redirection. It's just a shame that the punch is a little easy to spot.
Derek manages to catch the fist before it can land. ]
But you aren't really giving me a lot to go on, you know.
[Stiles gestures, but tries to settle, not losing his balance when Derek shoves him, at least.]
I mean going in to tackle you, while you're expecting it, won't work. So I can mark that off. And since you know the attacks coming, really, punches are going to be hard to land. I'm not really one for acrobatics, so I can't go leaping off stuff so you can grab me by the neck and throw me to the ground.
[He runs a hand through his hair.]
I don't know, maybe I'm thinking too hard. But my problem is everything I think of, you can counter fast.
I can’t tell you what to do. If I give you a hint, i’ll know your moves exactly.
[ Derek folds his arms and steps back a few paces, putting a little more distance between them. ]
You’re over-thinking. Don’t plan ahead, just do something.
[ Easier said than done of course. ]
The problem with you, Stiles, is that you plan too far ahead sometimes. What happens when your little plan fails, huh? You end up trapped in a situation. Try thinking on your feet for once.
[Did you not see him dealing with the Egypt situation, Derek?]
But I usually plan for the worst, so I have a gun, or a bat, or magic powders.
[He raises a hand before Derek can talk.]
I know, I know I'm not always going to have that.
[He genuinely isn't trying to stall, but sometimes he just has to talk an idea through. And frankly, he's nervous. This isn't easy for him. It definitely shows his inadequacies in stark relief. He will get better, he knows. But Stiles never thought it was going to be easy, either.]
Can we try something different? Like, you attacking me?
That would literally force me to think on my feet.
[ Can't win a current fight relying on past victories, Stiles.
Derek huffs a little at the hand gesture but remains silent as Stiles continues to talk. Thing is, he knows there's potential in the teenager. Given the right motivation and skills the kid could be dangerous. It was just about reaching that point and knowing how to get there. ]
You want me to attack you?
[ It sounds crazy. It sounds potentially lethal if there's a misstep on Derek's part. ]
I mean I'm usually getting attacked in these situations, anyways?
[It's rarely a purely offensive situation. Usually it starts as defensive.
Shaking his head, he runs a hand along his face.]
Fine, fine.
[Stiles surges forward again. This time he does genuinely go to tackle Derek down, arms around the werewolf's waist. He doesn't move to go directly back, though, but twists, trying to get a leg swept under to get one of Derek's feet out from under him.]
[ It goes without saying that Derek proves to be the immovable object to Stiles’ not so unstoppable force. Points deducted for doing something incredibly easy to block. Points awarded for trying the method regardless of the odds and generally being a tricky target to catch hold of.
When Derek does eventually get hold of the teenager’s waist, he lifts the kid clean off the floor. He had to do something to stop the awkward foot fight from continuing. ]
When I put you back down, you’re going to back up five paces and take a break.
[ He waits just long enough to get some sort of response before lowering Stiles back down. If he doesn’t back up, he doesn’t back up. Not a lot Derek can do about that. ]
He's trying, hard, and it doesn't seem to be doing anything. The fact that Derek just picks him up--it prickles, gets under his skin. Maybe he isn't cut out for this. But he's angry, and maybe that's why he does what he does next.
The second that Derek puts him down, Stiles surges forward, swinging his right hand hard to clock the werewolf in the jaw. It probably won't work, either, but he knows that he won't be expecting it, at least.]
[ He should have expected some sort of violent outburst from Stiles. He'd ignored the signs that the teenager was getting upset. Angry. Frustrated. And then he'd gone and pushed Stiles over that line by literally treating him like a small child.
The swing catches him off guard, it connects and makes him step back a step. Less out of physical strength and more due to shock but who cares about the smaller details right now? It takes Derek a moment to actually register what happened. When it does, he huffs as though things are starting to make sense. ]
[Stiles grins for a flash at the triumph of finally landing a hit. Derek's words hit true. People might think he's a sarcastic, bitter, fragile goof, sometimes...but when it comes down to it, he has a lot of frustrations and anger locked under the surface.
That's what worked when he hit Jackson during the whole Alpha situation, hadn't it?]
..that's your anchor, isn't it?
[He breathes out, ignoring the slight ache in his fist from where he hit Derek.]
How do you tap into it, to fight, without losing control?
[ Derek absently rubs the side of his face before replying. No damage done and the majority of the pain has already faded, there’s just a lingering itch at the point he was hit. ]
It is. At the moment.
[ That’s the thing about anchors, they change. They’re adaptable. Sure, Anger is his go to option right now but that doesn’t mean it’ll always be his link to humanity. He could have a different one within a matter of decades, years, months. ]
I let go. What you have to keep in mind, Stiles, is that I was born into this. Tapping into my primal side is something that I know. It’s instinctual.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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First, we're going to work on your posture.
[ Which is a nice way of saying, 'working on general balance'. ]
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[Stiles steps forward, quirking an eyebrow. He does sit a bit heavy in his hips, always keeping weight on his right leg rather than the other.]
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Stand up straight.
[ He frowns a little as he notices the slight lean. ]
Did something happen to your left leg or do you always rest on your right?
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No? I just...I guess I just lean. I never really thought about that.
[It's going to take a while to remember to not do that.]
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You can't stand like while fighting. If you have an obvious dominant leg, your opponent is going to go for it. That and you want to keep your weight as centred as possible.
[ He'll break Stiles out of the habit at some point. It might take a while and constant reminding but they'll get there. ]
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Bend in the knees, try to keep balanced at the core too, right?
[He heard that on some tv show, once.]
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[ And now it's time for an impromptu test. ]
I want you to balance on your left leg.
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[Stiles lets out a breath through his nose. Well, there is nothing for it.
He holds out his arms to help with his balance, and raises his right leg off the ground, wobbling slightly as he tries to hold it.]
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[ He waits for Stiles to follow-through before starting to walk around him. A small, quick circle so he can look over the teenager’s balance.
There is a reason behind the strange request. Trust him on that. ]
Change legs.
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Okay?
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[ He gives a gesture to signal that Stiles can drop his leg back down. The wobbling they can work on as things progress. ]
Next, I want you to try and attack me.
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Yeah, I would say that 'try' is the proper word.
[Stiles knows that Derek fights well--by some weird luck he tends to lose, but that isn't going to happen, here.
Letting out a breath, he tries to ignore his nerves, and surges forward, going to punch Derek in the face. Like old times.]
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[ It’s a werewolf against a human; naturally Derek has the strength and speed advantage. Doesn’t mean that the task at hand is impossible for Stiles though. The kid just needs to take a second to consider his options.
Derek sidesteps to the side to avoid the fist. ]
I’m not unconscious. You’ll have to do better than that.
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I will say I suckerpunched Jackson like that just fine.
[Stiles nearly loses his balance when Derek steps back, but he rights himself, letting out a sharp exhale through his nose. Okay, so he needs to not throw all his weight into things.
And try to be...smart. Thing is...he just doesn't know.
Still, Stiles debates for a moment, then moves forward again, feigning left before moving to step hard with his right foot at Derek's instep, then moving to punch at his solar plexus]
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[ What worked against a relatively new werewolf isn't going to work against an older one. Derek's got experience with how his abilities work and how to utilise them.
He raises an eyebrow as he waits for Stiles next move. The initial movement is decent, he'll give the teenager that, and the stomp is a decent redirection. It's just a shame that the punch is a little easy to spot.
Derek manages to catch the fist before it can land. ]
Better.
[ With that, he lightly shoves Stiles back. ]
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But you aren't really giving me a lot to go on, you know.
[Stiles gestures, but tries to settle, not losing his balance when Derek shoves him, at least.]
I mean going in to tackle you, while you're expecting it, won't work. So I can mark that off. And since you know the attacks coming, really, punches are going to be hard to land. I'm not really one for acrobatics, so I can't go leaping off stuff so you can grab me by the neck and throw me to the ground.
[He runs a hand through his hair.]
I don't know, maybe I'm thinking too hard. But my problem is everything I think of, you can counter fast.
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[ Derek folds his arms and steps back a few paces, putting a little more distance between them. ]
You’re over-thinking. Don’t plan ahead, just do something.
[ Easier said than done of course. ]
The problem with you, Stiles, is that you plan too far ahead sometimes. What happens when your little plan fails, huh? You end up trapped in a situation. Try thinking on your feet for once.
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[Did you not see him dealing with the Egypt situation, Derek?]
But I usually plan for the worst, so I have a gun, or a bat, or magic powders.
[He raises a hand before Derek can talk.]
I know, I know I'm not always going to have that.
[He genuinely isn't trying to stall, but sometimes he just has to talk an idea through. And frankly, he's nervous. This isn't easy for him. It definitely shows his inadequacies in stark relief. He will get better, he knows. But Stiles never thought it was going to be easy, either.]
Can we try something different? Like, you attacking me?
That would literally force me to think on my feet.
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[ Can't win a current fight relying on past victories, Stiles.
Derek huffs a little at the hand gesture but remains silent as Stiles continues to talk. Thing is, he knows there's potential in the teenager. Given the right motivation and skills the kid could be dangerous. It was just about reaching that point and knowing how to get there. ]
You want me to attack you?
[ It sounds crazy. It sounds potentially lethal if there's a misstep on Derek's part. ]
Give this one more try and then we'll switch.
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I mean I'm usually getting attacked in these situations, anyways?
[It's rarely a purely offensive situation. Usually it starts as defensive.
Shaking his head, he runs a hand along his face.]
Fine, fine.
[Stiles surges forward again. This time he does genuinely go to tackle Derek down, arms around the werewolf's waist. He doesn't move to go directly back, though, but twists, trying to get a leg swept under to get one of Derek's feet out from under him.]
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When Derek does eventually get hold of the teenager’s waist, he lifts the kid clean off the floor. He had to do something to stop the awkward foot fight from continuing. ]
When I put you back down, you’re going to back up five paces and take a break.
[ He waits just long enough to get some sort of response before lowering Stiles back down. If he doesn’t back up, he doesn’t back up. Not a lot Derek can do about that. ]
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He's trying, hard, and it doesn't seem to be doing anything. The fact that Derek just picks him up--it prickles, gets under his skin. Maybe he isn't cut out for this. But he's angry, and maybe that's why he does what he does next.
The second that Derek puts him down, Stiles surges forward, swinging his right hand hard to clock the werewolf in the jaw. It probably won't work, either, but he knows that he won't be expecting it, at least.]
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The swing catches him off guard, it connects and makes him step back a step. Less out of physical strength and more due to shock but who cares about the smaller details right now? It takes Derek a moment to actually register what happened. When it does, he huffs as though things are starting to make sense. ]
Anger. You need an emotional trigger.
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That's what worked when he hit Jackson during the whole Alpha situation, hadn't it?]
..that's your anchor, isn't it?
[He breathes out, ignoring the slight ache in his fist from where he hit Derek.]
How do you tap into it, to fight, without losing control?
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It is. At the moment.
[ That’s the thing about anchors, they change. They’re adaptable. Sure, Anger is his go to option right now but that doesn’t mean it’ll always be his link to humanity. He could have a different one within a matter of decades, years, months. ]
I let go. What you have to keep in mind, Stiles, is that I was born into this. Tapping into my primal side is something that I know. It’s instinctual.
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